| Sailaufbach | |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Type2: | Location |
| Subdivision Name2: | Spessart----Bavaria
|
| Subdivision Type3: | Reference no. |
| Subdivision Name3: | DE: 2475442 |
| Length: | 6.4 km |
| Source1 Location: | in the Sailauf Forest west of the Steigkoppe |
| Source1 Coordinates: | 50.0421°N 9.2926°W |
| Mouth Location: | near the Weyberhöfe into the Laufach |
| Mouth Coordinates: | 50.0054°N 9.2384°W |
| River System: | Rhine |
| Progression: | Laufach → Aschaff → Main (river) → Rhine → North Sea |
| Basin Size: | 17.4 km² |
| Tributaries Right: | Oberer Steinbach, Eichenberger Bach, Erlenbach |
| Custom Label: | References |
| Extra: | The confluence of the Sailaufbach (left) into the Laufach (right) |
The Sailaufbach is a stream in Bavaria, Germany. It flows in the low mountain range of the Spessart. It is a right-hand and northwestern tributary of the Laufach in the district of Aschaffenburg in Lower Franconia, flowing into the Laufach near Hösbach. It is 6.5 km long and the largest tributary of the Laufach.
The original name "Sailauf" comes from the Middle High German words sîgen and loufe, which mean descending watercourse. The stream gave its name to the village of Sailauf.[1]
The Sailaufbach originates at an elevation of at the base of the Eselshöhe ridge. Its source is located on the western slope of the Steigkoppe within an exclave of the municipality of Sailauf in the Sailauf Forest.
The stream flows southwest close to the quarry where the arsenate mineral sailaufite was discovered.[2] It then reaches Obersailauf, where it is joined by the Oberer Steinbach and flows through the village alongside the local AB 2 road. The Eichenberger Bach, its largest tributary, joins it in Mittelsailauf. (This tributary is mistakenly identified as the upper course of the Sailaufbach on some maps.)
The Sailaufbach continues through Untersailauf where the Erlenbach flows into it. Near the Weyberhöfe estates, it passes under the Bundesstraße 26 and flows into the Laufach river at an elevation of .
The cycle path bridge over the Sailaufbach near Weyberhöfe was replaced in 2024 with a steel bridge after the previous wooden bridge was found to be suffering from rot.[3] [4]
Historical mills include:
The Sailaufbach is home to brown trout and rainbow trout.